Proof men really do have selective hearing!

By contrast, he can pay attention for an entire fifteen minutes' conversation with mates about football or their sex lives, according to research carried out among 2,000 adults.

The findings also showed women listen longer and harder in conversation with their friends than they do with their other halves.

More than half of the men surveyed admitted they weren’t good listeners at all.

But the study found they will happily talk with a friend about sport, which proved the most popular topic for more than half the men questioned, followed by chats on films and sex.

Relationships was the favourite theme among women, with 55 per cent saying it was their favourite topic of conversation.

Men are most likely to switch off from a conversation if the topic is someone they don’t know, followed by chat about workmates, celebrities or clothes.

And chaps are similarly unenthused when talk turns to things their partner has seen on Facebook, horoscopes and chat around what they ate for lunch that day.

No doubt wise to this wilful and lazy ignorance, 55 per cent of women say they regularly test their partner to check whether or not he’s listening.

More than a third said the most common sign their partner isn’t listening is when they take far too long to respond to a question.

The second most common indicator is a flurry of blank or glazed expressions, while more than a quarter said it’s noticeable when they can’t take their eyes off their phone, tablet or the television.

More than a fifth of men admit they often browse the web or watch sport while on the phone to their partner. Both sexes said they were more likely to lie or hold back information from their partner than from their best friend.

A spokesman for Ladbrokes said: 'It’s natural that the two genders will find different things interesting and certain topics appeal more than others.

'Men are obsessed with sport, gadgets and technology, and often these combine when trying to check scores, place bets or get the latest updates.

'Of course, this regularly means they aren’t always their most responsive.

'As with anything, getting that balance between showing effort towards a partner and allowing time for following your passions is important.'

(dailymail.co.uk)